Plan

It has been a terrible year. Your investments got clobbered, and you have no idea where you stand in terms of your overall financial plan. Is it time to fire your financial adviser? Maybe. The following reality checks will help you decide: Focus....

Do you have any regrets about how you’ve prepared for your retirement so far? Noooo, not you, right? But maybe you’ve heard from friends that they’d be in better shape if only they had remembered to set up that 401k their 20s…or continued to save...

How much money would you need to never have to work again? Helping people like you answer that question is what I spent most of my time figuring out for clients as a financial advisor. With company pensions going the way of the dodo bird and...

What do you do when you’re already retired and your savings are dwindling? —Gerri, McKinney, TX You can take some comfort in the fact that you are not alone. Many retirees, and those saving for retirement, suffered a huge blow when the economy...

You’ve probably heard of the phrase “tax-free municipal bonds” and wondered what they are, and whether they have a place in your financial plans. If you are tax-sensitive (i.e. looking to keep taxes low), and seeking to preserve assets while...

"If I leave my job to freelance or take another job, what should I do with my retirement account? I won't lose the money, will I?" - Jennifer, Brooklyn, NY Before you leave, it’s important to understand the (potentially negative) impact on your...

I used to think that being a trust-funder would be the greatest thing ever. Then I got into a relationship with a man who has a trust fund. I've been trying to free him from it ever since. My significant other (let's call him Brett) is in his...

If “retirement account” translates to you as “no comprendo,” you’re in distinguished company. Celebrated writer E.B. White famously wrote a scathing essay assailing the government for making even basic tax forms impossible to figure out. The...

When Gina Nykerk paid off her student loans, credit card, and car, it was a major Financial Turning Point for her—and and an inspiration for several friends. When I was 23 years old, I paid off all $16,000 of my student loan debt. I can't tell...